Inspired by the enthusiasm surrounding the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Philippe Aubertin got started in gymnastics at the age of five. At 18 he was invited to join the national junior team but decided to withdraw from competition because of the physical demands that it imposes. Instead, he became coach at the Gymnastics Centre of Montreal, a position he held until 1999. During his tenure, he was certified by the Canadian Association of Coaches.
At the same time, Philippe pursued a university education in athletic training, but the appeal of Cirque du Soleil offered him new horizons.
Cirque's Director of Acrobatic Performance and Coaching, Boris Verkhovsky, hired him in 1999 to train artists at the company’s international headquarters in Montreal.
Philippe joined La Nouba in Florida as a coach, then took up duties in Japan as head coach on the touring show Saltimbanco. In 2004, he returned to Montreal as Cirque' s head coach before joining Corteo on the road for two years.
Philippe’s first engagement as a Creator came in 2007 with his appointment as Acrobatic Performance Designer of OVO.
"As designers, we start from zero,” he says. “And the blank page can be intimidating at first. But when we see our ideas become reality, with the sets, costumes and music, it’s nothing less than intoxicating. For OVO, the decision to focus on human performance and numbers inspired by the dynamics of insects was there from the beginning. We have two large group numbers that blend flying, Russian Swing, trampoline and Power Track.”
Philippe Aubertin was born in Montreal in 1970.